A Calgary man is having a lot of fun sharing his take on a classic sideshow attractions.
It’s something Paul Godard has been itching to do for a long time, making a childhood dream come true.
Godard is set to start performing around Calgary with a flea circus.
It’s something Godard first saw in action as a kid on a visit to the Calgary Stampede during the 1960s.
“I saw this performance and it was burned in my brain, and I always figured if I ever grew up, I would get my own flea circus,” Godard said.
“I’ve never grown up, but I still got a flea circus.”
Godard assures people watching his show that there’s no risk of them being bitten.
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“They’re not dog fleas or cat fleas,” Godard said. “It’s all an illusion.”
Godard creates the illusion with some traditional techniques used by magicians.
“Maybe magnets or wires or even mirrors,” Godard said.
Flea circuses have been around since the early 1800s.
“Flea circuses were really, really popular throughout Europe,” Godard said.
Godard ordered some of the components used in his act from a man in California.
Godard will be performing at a Calgary Opera event called Wonderland on Friday, May 10, and then later in the spring and summer he’ll be busking with his flea circus at various spots around Calgary.
“As far as I know, I’m the only flea circus in Canada west of the St. Lawrence,” Godard said. “It’s a dying art.”